Filed under: Truck , Videos , Toyota , Design/Style Eddie van Halen is one of the greatest rock musicians around, and his Eruption guitar solo alone puts him in the pantheon with the best of the best. Artist Ryan Humphrey was looking for a design to repaint his ratty Toyota pickup, and as a Van Halen super fan, he set on the classic scheme of Eddie’s guitar for the look. The paint job is made up of a crisscrossing geometric pattern of black and white stripes with a red body. The eye-catching, rock-inspired design should give Humphrey no problems finding his pickup in a parking lot. In a video hosted by Plutonium Paint, he shows you how to get the look using the company’s product. Even if you’re not interested in watching a guy paint his old truck, the video is still enjoyable just for the chance to listen to some Van Halen tunes. Continue reading Watch this dude paint his Toyota pickup like Eddie Van Halen’s guitar Watch this dude paint his Toyota pickup like Eddie Van Halen’s guitar originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 Nov 2014 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: LA Auto Show , Videos , Audi , Toyota , Volkswagen , Electric , Translogic , Technology The LA Auto Show is known for its environmentally friendly vehicle debuts. At last year’s show , hydrogen fuel cell concepts from Honda and Toyota joined a lease-ready Hyundai Tuscan FCEV to cast a green hue over the convention center. This year, automakers took us a step closer to a fuel cell future by offering drives of their hydrogen-electric hybrids. Translogic host Jonathon Buckley takes a ride in the Toyota Mirai , which is headed for production in 2016. He follows that with a spin in the Volkswagen Passat HyMotion and the Audi A7 Sportback h-tron quattro concept. Which of these fuel cell vehicles holds the most promise? Tune in to find out. Continue reading Translogic 164: Driving the fuel cell vehicles of the 2014 LA Auto Show Translogic 164: Driving the fuel cell vehicles of the 2014 LA Auto Show originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Nov 2014 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink

Filed under: Minivan/Van , Safety , Videos , Chrysler , Dodge , Nissan , Toyota First introduced in 2012, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s small-overlap frontal crash test has become the bane of many auto engineers’ existence. It’s a particularly steep design challenge because it forces just 25 percent of a vehicle’s front end to take the brunt of a 40-mile-per-hour impact. The newly released results of four family-minded minivans underscore just how difficult the crash test is: only one scored an Acceptable rating, and the other three did very poorly. The 2008-2015 Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Grand Caravan , plus the 2011-2015 Nissan Quest , all received Poor ratings in the test, the IIHS’ lowest possible score. The three of them showed significant crash intrusion into the driver’s area. The dummy in the Nissan actually had to be cut out of the vehicle, with an IIHS spokesperson remarking, “the structure collapsed like a house of cards.” In the Fiat Chrysler Automobile vans, the steering wheels moved out of the way, making the airbag less effective and letting the driver’s head hit the dashboard. While it was not actually crashed, the agency is also giving the 2009-12 Volkswagen Routan a Poor score because it shares a structure with the FCA models. The newly released results of four minivans underscore just how difficult the small-offset crash test is. The refreshed 2015 Toyota Sienna (shown), conversely, earned an Acceptable rating and is also a Top Safety Pick+ because of its optional forward collision warning and automatic braking system. While the crash test dummy moved around during the impact more than the agency would have liked, sensors showed a low risk of injuries.

Filed under: Classics , Coupe , Performance , Videos , Toyota The twin-turbo fourth-generation Toyota Supra has slowly built up a reputation as one of the premiere sports coupes of the 1990s. The image was partially helped by its inclusion in the original The Fast and the Furious in 2001, but even before that it was part of the quartet of Japanese performance machines along with the Acura NSX , Mazda RX-7 and Nissan 300ZX Twin-Turbo that defined speed for a generation of enthusiasts. Thanks to Motorweek ‘s Retro Review series, now we get a chance to hear opinions on the Toyota from its original release. Two things strike the viewer in the review. First, it shows what a performance standout the Supra TT is. A run to 60 miles per hour in 5.1 seconds and 14 seconds in the quarter mile is strong against its contemporaries and makes it hardly a slouch today. The second surprising thing is just how flabbergasted the reviewers seem at the coupe. The price is up about $8,000 from the previous year, and MotorWeek isn’t entirely impressed with the Toyota’s weight saving measures that make the fourth-generation Supra a bit more raw than the last model. The great thing about these retro takes is that there’s no nostalgia in the way to cloud the reviewers’ judgment. Check out the video to find out how the twin-turbo Supra was received before it became part of the performance pantheon.

Filed under: Classics , Convertible , Performance , Japan , Videos , Toyota There’s an automotive axiom that claims it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow. If that’s the case, then pushing a Toyota Sports 800 around must be one of the most exhilarating experiences behind the wheel in the world. With just 800cc of displacement from a two-cylinder boxer engine, the focus is on finesse over outright speed. Still, it’s a fantastic page in Toyota’s performance history, and Petrolicious takes a ride with a man who owns a meticulously restored 1967 example in its latest video. The Sports 800 used the classic cost-saving strategy in the auto industry of taking parts from a standard model in the lineup and modifying it into a sports car. In this case that meant borrowing the engine from the plebian Toyota Publica, beefing it up for more power and clothing the whole thing a in beautifully shaped, wind-tunnel-honed body. The look of these lithe, targa roadsters is the exact opposite of the rather dull styling sometimes associated with Toyota today. Everywhere you look there are louvers, vents or curves to draw the eye. Check out the latest Petrolicious video for a detailed look at the history of this rare model that’s largely unknown on this side of the Pacific. Continue reading Sports 800 is a progenitor of Toyota performance Sports 800 is a progenitor of Toyota performance originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 18 Nov 2014 20:01:00 EST.

Filed under: Minivan/Van , Japan , Videos , Toyota , Luxury A few months back we reported on a dealership owner in Japan who was petitioning Toyota to make a luxury van. The problem, he reasoned, was that he couldn’t take as many friends, colleagues and clients around with him in his Lexus LS , and his Toyota Alphard van wasn’t luxurious enough. Well, it seems like he wasn’t alone, and Toyota has listened. The Japanese auto giant has just revealed the Esquire, a new luxury van designed with just such customers in mind. It’s significantly smaller than the Sienna we get in America, smaller than the aforementioned Alphard and about the same size as (this writer’s favorite) the JDM Noah van (on which we gather it’s based). But what sets the Esquire apart is its upscale appearance. The boxy van is distinguished by its dominant T-shaped chrome grille with a unique emblem that encompasses a shield, sword, “the collar of a gentleman’s suit” and the letters Esq. The flank is characterized by a strong beltline with chrome lower window frame and an expansive greenhouse with tinted rear glass. Inside the flexible cabin you’ll find accommodation for seven or eight passengers (depending on specification), synthetic leather upholstery and wood and metallic trim. There are even wheelchair-enabled models on offer as well.

Filed under: Classics , Coupe , Performance , Videos , Supercars , Acura , Toyota , TV/Movies It’s easy to poke a joke here and there about John Davis, the long-time host of MotorWeek . His voice is so monotonous that, from time to time, if you closed your eyes, you may think it’s generated via a computer. But you have to give him and the rest of the show a lot of credit. The program has been on the air for decades, giving people direct, straight-down-the middle automotive reviews. MotorWeek ‘s massive back catalog of reviews are slowly making their way onto YouTube , and they provide a fascinating chance to look back on how performance cars rank against their contemporaries from back in the day. Two recent additions include the show’s old looks at the 1986 Toyota Supra , the dawn of the third-generation model, and the now-iconic 1991 Acura NSX . Both reviews are interesting in their own way. These days you hear nary a negative word about the original NSX, but MotorWeek isn’t afraid to point out a few flaws. And the Supra really shows the progress of suspension tuning in the intervening decades because it has some serious body roll in the corners. Scroll down to check out both videos and get a blast from the automotive past.

Filed under: Etc. , Japan , Videos , Toyota UPDATE: A previous version of this post included an incorrectly converted price figure. The text below has been updated with the correct information. Some Japanese automakers focus purely on cars, while others dabble in all sorts of motorized transportation. Honda , for example, makes everything from motorbikes to jet aircraft. But while Toyota may be known principally for automobiles, it also makes a line of boats . And this is the latest. The new Toyota Ponam-31 motor yacht is built around an aluminum hull with a flybridge and cockpit rear deck layout, similar to the Carver 32 on which this writer spent his childhood summers. It measures 31 feet overall and is powered by a pair of 3.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engines derived from the Land Cruiser Prado (known in these parts as the Lexus GX 460 ) but marinized for nautical application. Toyota has even equipped its new Sports Utility Cruiser with such features as Drive Assist and a Virtual Anchor System.

Filed under: Concept Cars , Hybrid , Videos , Paris Motor Show , Crossover , Toyota Despite having the tendency to offer decidedly bland production cars, Toyota occasionally surprises us with interesting concept cars. Such is the case with the C-HR concept making its debut at the Paris Motor Show this week. It’s a concept showing forward-thinking design that hints at “a type of crossover vehicle Toyota would like to bring to market,” according to the automaker’s release, and it rides on an all-new platform and uses a hybrid powertrain. About that powertrain: Toyota isn’t revealing anything, just saying that it will – brace yourselves – “deliver significantly improved fuel efficiency” (over what, exactly?) The car also uses a brand-new architecture, though it hasn’t really revealed any major details about that aspect, either. It’s a high-riding, muscular thing, with a rakish hatchback shape. Should it reach production, Toyota says it would take the shape of a C-segment crossover. It’d be cool to see something like this hit the road someday, but for now, we won’t hold our breath. See the C-HR for yourself in the galleries above and below, and scroll down for the full press release and a couple of videos including a designer walkaround from the folks at Autoline . Continue reading Toyota C-HR Concept is a high-riding hybrid hatch [w/videos] Toyota C-HR Concept is a high-riding hybrid hatch [w/videos] originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Oct 2014 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .